Masque of the Red Archer
by Dewey Decimatrix 822
Summary: Roy Harper was never a fan of fancy balls, but this masquerade held a special interest for him.


The Wayne Manor was always impressive, even to someone who had lived with a billionaire for years. Roy Harper had been awestruck when he had first entered the beautifully decorated ballroom. Masked balls were something of a fun joke that both Green Arrow and Batman found quite hilarious. Thus, the young red head was dressed in a black tuxedo with red accents and a black mask not unlike his usual fare, although this one had minor decorations on the edge.

Roy grabbed a drink from the bar before finding a table where he could stand and survey the ballroom. He wasn't big on dances, though he was big on the women who usually decided to attend. His keen eyes scanned the room for anyone who might catch his eye. He could spot Koriand'r and Richard Grayson across the room, due to the fact that the alien tended to stick out in a crowd. He paused for a moment on them, surprised to see a smile on the usually stoic leader of the Teen Titans. Roy gave a light chuckle to himself, but continued to look about the room.

His eyes finally fell on the woman he had been searching for. Her purple hair was swept back away from her face into a tight twist at the back of her head, with only a few strands coming loose near her face. Her dress looked hugged tight to her top, with black lace over midnight blue satin, before puffing out into a full skirt. On her face rested an ornate metal mask with blue stones that matched her dress.

He couldn't keep her eyes off her. He didn't think he had seen her at one of these functions before, but that had never kept him from looking. Sure enough, there she was, dancing with who he assumed was Cyborg, though the arm that was usually made up of circuitry was concealed to look like skin from what Roy could see. His jaw was nearly resting on the floor. He could do little more than stare in amazement at the girl. No, not girl anymore. The beauty before him was all long lines and graceful ease.

The song had ended, but his vision and her dance partner stayed on the dance floor together, eagerly awaiting the next song.

"If you stare any harder, you'll fall over," Roy heard a familiar voice say behind him. He jumped slightly, nearly knocking over the table he hadn't realized he was leaning so heavily on.

Recovering quickly, the former sidekick rounded on his former teacher. "You know, _Ollie_, I did learn from the best," he quipped back.

The blond billionaire gave an easy smile below his green Venetian mask. "Nice try. I wouldn't have gotten caught. Or I would be dancing with her already," he teased.

"And if your wife caught you, you'd be dead meat," the younger man retorted.

Oliver drank down the rest of his drink, whiskey on the rocks if Roy remembered correctly. "Do you want another drink or would you rather actually ask her to dance?"

"I don't dance."

"I taught you better than that, I know you can dance. You're just being stubborn."

"Like you said, I learned from the best."

A blond walked up to them, lacing an arm through Oliver's with a smile on her dark painted lips. "Dinah," Roy said with a tip of his glass in her direction. Oliver's attention quickly moved from his former protégé to his wife.

"You look absolutely enchanting, as always," he cooed, planting a chaste kiss on the woman's gloved hands.

"And you still think you're charming," she quipped.

The pair quickly fell into a world of their own, leaving Roy's mind, and eyes, to wander once more. It didn't take long for him to find her again. She had changed partners, now dancing Wally, who was visibly trying not to dance too quickly for the music, but it was obviously taking extreme effort. Still, Raven had a light smile. Their eyes met for a moment across the room.

"Please go ask her to dance. You're drooling," Dinah said, pulling him out of his thoughts once more. He regretfully broke eye contact with the gorgeous empath to look at Dinah.

Oliver had disappeared, leaving beautiful blond staring down the red headed archer. "Seriously, _Speedy_, you're moving at a snail's pace."

"I don't go by Speedy anymore," he replied.

"You'll always be Speedy to me," she said with a grin, bumping his arm with her elbow. "But in all seriousness, she looks interested." She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Trust me, I know these things." Roy looked at Dinah for a long moment, her eyes earnest and an encouraging smile. "Go."

Roy drained the rest of his glass, setting it on the table before walking towards the dance floor. The music had begun to slow and it finally cut out.

"Pardon me," Roy said behind Raven's shoulder as she and Wally stopped dancing. She turned as her arms dropped from the stiff ballroom position they had been in. Wally looked over at him, smiling at his friend. "If I may have this dance."

Raven nodded, giving a slight curtsey to Wally as he rushed off, though for him it was likely all he could do not to disappear in a moment. He tended to get so antsy when he wasn't running.

A few notes began in the next song, a waltz that rose and fell beautifully. Roy put a hand on her waist while taking her hand in his free one. He fell into a box step, leading her solidly. He twirled her once before pulling her back into their original ballroom position. "I didn't know you could dance," she said with a small smile, her eyes curious.

"You don't grow up with Oliver Queen and not learn how to dance at a big party. He's surprisingly old fashioned in his old age. No more big club parties, he's much more interested in balls. I think the more pressing question is where you learned to dance."

"Just something I picked up," she answered with a mischievous smirk.

"So what brings you to the ball tonight? I don't think I've ever seen you at one before."

"Oh, so you look for me?" she asked.

"Maybe I do." This brought a slight tint of red onto the pale woman's face. "Would that be so bad?"

"No," she said after a moment of thought. "I don't suppose it would be too bad."

They danced in silence, both more graceful than the other expected. Roy had seen her fight, but this was something of absolute beauty. She danced as though her feet merely glided over the floor. The music came to an end and he released her hand. Her hand on his shoulder moved gracefully to her side.

"Thank you for the dance," he said with a tilt of his head. He was trying to hide the hammering of his heart. His usual quick wit and flirtatious manner had fled him, leaving him bereft of all charm. It had him of center while talking to the stunning woman.

"We should do it again sometime." She gave a flash of a grin before she exited the dance floor in the direction of the bar.

She slid in between two people, getting the attention of the bartender to order something. "How about next Friday? Only instead of dancing, how about dinner?" Roy asked smoothly, maneuvering himself to the bar beside her.

She lifted her eyes to his, a small smile on her painted lips. "Dinner sounds nice."


End file.
